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Get Nanoshot, Advanced Ubuntu Screenshot Taking Application

Many Ubuntu users use the Gnome Screenshot utility, which comes pre-installed with the Ubuntu desktop. While Gnome Screenshot provides a number of handy options, it lacks some advanced features, such as being able to specifically capture the Unity Launcher’s screenshot or capturing video frames. Nanoshot is a screenshot taking application that provides a number of advanced features for capturing screenshots in Ubuntu. It can capture screenshots from web pages, a selected area, a selected windows, and video frames/players. You can even capture specific portions of the desktop such as the Unity Launcher.

Although the Nanoshot PPA is available primarily for Ubuntu Maverick Meerkat (Ubuntu 10.10), Lucid Lynx (Ubuntu 10.04) and Karmic Koala (Ubuntu 9.10), however, I used the same PPA to successfully install Nanoshot on Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot and I see no reason why the same PPA cannot be used with Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal. In short, to install Nanoshot from Ubuntu 9.10-11.10, enter the below given commands in the Terminal.

Note: For additional dependencies regarding older Ubuntu operating systems, (such as Maverick Meerkat), visit this link and see the download page given at the end of this post to grab the download package (in case you do not wish to use the below PPA).

After installation, launch Nanshot and head over to the app-indicator menu to select your screenshot preferences and to capture screenshots. As you can see from the image below, screenshots can be taken according to a selected screen area, from a video file, from a web page and of specific Ubuntu elements, such as the Unity Launcher, Unity Panel, Active Window or the entire desktop.

You can also specify a time delay for taking screenshot, e.g. every 1 second, every 5 seconds, every 10 seconds, every 15 seconds or every 20 seconds. You can also include the cursor and run Nanoshot at system startup by selecting the respective options from the app-indicator menu. When capturing individual screenshots, select a screen area and hit Enter to save the screenshot.

Once a screenshot has been taken, you can copy it to clipboard, add effects (Stroke, Drop Shadow, Reflection or Grayscale) and upload it to ImageShack, Flickr or Imgur.com. This gives Nanoshot similar functionality to another Ubuntu screenshot taking tool, known as Lookit.

Below screenshots are an example, as to how you can capture video frames and specific desktop elements like the Unity Launcher, with the help of Nanoshot application. You can either capture the entire video frame or the entire video player. When capturing video frames, you will require specifying a vide file and the number of screens to capture.

To find out more about Nanshot and to download the installation package, see the links given below.